Monday, July 18, 2011

Hausherrenfest

Germany has a fantastic array of celebrations throughout the year, and Germans love to get together and have some fun, enjoy their food and drink, and listen to great dancing music.

Many of the celebrations revolve around religious occasions and this morning I was up and out early with hubby's big camera, down by the edge of the Lake, to try and get some shots of the procession of boats that row over from Moos, a neighbouring village, to Radolfzell on the 3rd Monday of July to celebrate Hausherrenfest.

Since the 9th century, Radolfzell and its citizens are under the protection of the town patron saints. The Hausherrenfest takes place annually on the third weekend in July, and is a town holiday.

Not only the town and its citizens but also many friends of the surrounding area join in the celebration and fascination of this weekend of history, tradition and folklore.

Up to the 18th and 19th century whole parishes from southern Germany made pilgrimages to the Radolfzell patron saints to pray for help and support.

In the year 830, the founder of the town, Bishop Radolf of Verona brought the relics of the patrons to Radolfzell. This was at the height of relic veneration. A Venetian friend of the bishop, according to the chronicle of the Monastery of Reichenau, even arranged for the relics of St. Marcus to be transferred to the Monastery of Reichenau. From the Monastery of Nonantuola near Treviso he received parts of the relics of the martyrs St. Theopont and St. Senesius. In the year 1052 the relics of the holy Bishop Zeno also came to the town. Thus, in the 9th century the development to one of the most important pilgrimage sites of the lake area began.

After the boats arrive and people disembark, hymns are sung and important members of the religious community speak. Then an official walking procession forms, moving along the edge of the Lake, up over the bridge and into town where there is music and celebration.

There was a huge crowd of people during the presentations by the Lake and I moved off with them as the procession headed into town. I didn't realise it, but I must have been walking quickly, and found myself walking next to the Mayor and just behind the bishops!

I ducked out to the side and moved along, trying to get some good shots and I think I got some, but the small problem is that I used hubby's camera and am not sure how to download them to my computer, so I'll get them done tonight and post any good ones tomorrow.

So, the celebrations continue in town all day, and lots of people have the day off and are attending. There's also lots of people visiting from other towns enjoying the fun. So, of course, with all these people in town on a weekday, what do they do? Yes, that's right, close all the shops. Germany? Different from other places.

4 comments:

I love all the local festivals here as well. And it always cracks me up they close the shops when they could be doing a brisk business. But that's Germany. They work to live not live to work like Americans.

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Firstly, a little about myself. In international relocation parlance I am what is officially known as a "trailing spouse". The term trailing spouse is used to describe a person who follows his or her life partner to another city because of a work assignment. That makes it all sound a bit clinical to me, and what I actually am is a very lucky, incredibly happy chick who loves moving from interesting place to interesting place with her fantastic husband.